{"id":148725,"date":"2020-12-15T11:44:09","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T16:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/?p=148725"},"modified":"2020-12-15T11:49:04","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T16:49:04","slug":"colman-domingo-glynn-turman-michael-potts-talk-ma-raineys-black-bottom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/colman-domingo-glynn-turman-michael-potts-talk-ma-raineys-black-bottom\/","title":{"rendered":"Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman & Michael Potts Talk ‘MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Blackfilm.com correspondent Ellen Wanjiru asks Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman and Michael Potts about the intense demands of their characters in MA RAINEY\u2019S BLACK BOTTOM.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Netflix\u2019s upcoming feature adaptation of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson\u2019s play<\/strong> by the same name, MA RAINEY\u2019S BLACK BOTTOM<\/strong>, is the consummate dramatic period piece. In a roaring decade known for prosperity, jazz bands, flappers, and bathtub gin, the film does an eloquent job showing an antithetical point of view on the Black experience during that era. A view that explores the consequences of the Great Migration<\/a>, particularly what was lost when Black people left the rural south for the urban north, and themes that are still relevant today, such as race, culture, faith, sexuality, music, and trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): (L to R) Chadwick Boseman as Levee, Colman Domingo as Cutler, Viola Davis as Ma Rainey, Michael Potts as Slow Drag, and Glynn Turman as Toldeo. Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The powerhouse ensemble cast includes Academy award-winner Viola Davis<\/strong> who plays the proud, complicated, and talented MA RAINEY. Tony and Oliver award-winner Colman Domingo<\/strong> plays the level-headed trombone player Cutler. Emmy winner Glynn Turman<\/strong> is the sagacious piano player Toledo. Michael Potts<\/strong> plays the composed bassist Slow Drag. And the late and great Chadwick Boseman, <\/strong>with perhaps the most nuanced narrative, plays the charismatic, ambitious hot head cornet player Levee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): (L to R)\nGlynn Turman as Toldeo, Chadwick Boseman as Levee, Michael Potts as Slow Drag, and Colman Domingo as Cutler.\nCr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Much of the story takes place during one hot summer afternoon. Rainey has come north to Chicago to record music and has brought with her, four musicians. And it is within the studio building, which serves as the primary location, that the dialogue and temperament of the language leaps to life. The monumental, raw and explosive scenes, particularly when the band characters share their personal stories, rocked me to my core.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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MA RAINEY\u2019S BLACK BOTTOM (2020) Chadwick Boseman as Levee. Cr. David Lee\/NETFLIX<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Viola Davis’ portrayal of the Mother of Blues is a tour de force. I walked away feeling emboldened. Chadwick Boseman\u2019s character arc was stunning to witness, which speaks volumes of his ability to pour his entire being into a role. It\u2019s this brand of artistic commitment that takes the viewer along for an emotional ride and drops them off transformed. It\u2019s almost as if Boseman knew that the end was near and therefore gave the performance of his lifetime. While Davis\u2019 and Boseman\u2019s characters are at odds the entire time, they are both cut from the same textured fabric; both are fighting to prove themselves and be taken seriously as Black entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my favorite and most memorable scenes (and there are a few) is Toledo’s (Glynn Turman) visual monologue of \u201cThe Leftovers\u201d and the unfortunate reality that the Great Migration worked for some but not for all and what happens to the people who were left behind. The inclusion of the images drove the point home beautifully. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The film shines for several reasons, starting with August Wilson\u2019s exquisite story-telling, George C. Wolfe\u2019s vision and masterful direction, the elegance of the production design, and the ingenious cast that gave everything they had. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will be available on Netflix beginning December 18.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Synopsis: <\/strong>Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Academy Award winner Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio’s claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) \u2014 who has an eye for Ma’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry \u2014 spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM<\/strong> celebrates the transformative power of the blues and the artists who refuse to let society’s prejudices dictate their worth. Directed by George C. Wolfe<\/strong> and adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson<\/strong>, the film is produced by Fences Oscar nominees Denzel Washington<\/strong> and Todd Black.<\/strong> Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige<\/strong> and Dusan Brown<\/strong> co-star alongside Grammy winner Branford Marsalis<\/strong>‘ score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MA RAINEY\u2019S BLACK BOTTOM (2020) Chadwick Boseman as Levee. Cr. David Lee\/NETFLIX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): (L to R) Viola Davis as Ma Rainey, Taylour Paige as Dussie Mae, and Dusan Brown as Sylvester.\nCr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): (L to R) Michael Potts (“Slow Drag”), Glynn Turman (“Toldeo”), Colman Domingo (“Cutler\u201d). Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Colman Domingo (“Cutler”) Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Glynn Turman (“Toldeo\u201d). Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Michael Potts (“Slow Drag\u201d). Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Director George C. Wolfe talks to Viola Davis , Taylour Paige and the others while 1st AD Michele ‘Shelley’ Ziegler stands by.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020): Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. Cr. David Lee \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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15 FACTS ABOUT MA RAINEY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n